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September 6, 2026 |
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Behold, God is my helper; The Lord is the sustainer of my soul. Psalm 54:4 Psalms 52–55 each carry “Maskil of David” in their superscripts. They are to be read as a unit, sharing a common concern. The meaning of “Maskil” is uncertain, though scholars suggest the sense of instruction. These psalms teach us how to live in a world that rejects God and His people — especially His anointed one, King David, and prophetically, Jesus Christ. Psalm 52 comes from the day Doeg the Edomite exposed David’s location to Saul, that he might be captured and killed. Psalm 53 speaks of the fool who “has said in his heart, ‘There is no God,’” and who eats up God’s people “as though they ate bread, and have not called upon God” (verse 4). Psalm 54 belongs to the day the Ziphites betrayed David’s hiding place. Sadder still: the Ziphites were Israelites, men of David’s own tribe. Psalm 55 mourns the betrayal of a friend who had worshiped with David in the house of God. “For it is not an enemy who reproaches me, Then I could bear it; Nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me, Then I could hide myself from him. But it is you, a man my equal, My companion and my familiar friend; We who had sweet fellowship together Walked in the house of God in the throng” (Psalm 55:12–14). Betrayal by a stranger is one thing. Betrayal by a brother is another. Yet David’s response is to trust God’s lovingkindness and call upon His name. Behold, God is my helper; The Lord is the sustainer of my soul. Psalm 54:4 These psalms remind us that we are still in the wilderness. This world is not our home, and there will be resistance while we are here. Christ told His disciples plainly that because the world hated Him, it will hate them also (Matthew 10:22, 24–25; John 15:23–25; 17:14; 1 John 3:13). David would have us learn: |